Hudd!

[kdspur]

could very well play a diamond typr midfield at times if we can get players fit and able to play it --

bale and walker as attacking full backs and

sandro

thudd parker

modric
ade vdv


could be quality. all about movement , intelliegence , keeping the ball!! simples.

 

[kaz Hirai]

glad we now have the midfielders good enough to relegate him to a bench role, a more popular Jermaine Jenas

 

[felmani26]

Huddlestone's decent enough and if it weren't for his body-type (the opposite of a Messi, top heavy makes him "one-directional" (that could almost be a Pleatism), he'd be an extremely useful player.

He is what he is though and that is cultured on the ball. But because he can ping a ball as sweet as anyone, he tries it too much and the likes of Modric get bypassed and the team loses rhythm imo. His vision at close quarters isn't great and he likes to pass it to the flank, get it back, pass it to the other flank, get it back, then go for the Quarter-Back pass to an onrushing winger.

Partly it's the team's fault (and in particular Harry's) I'm sure, for not making the little runs and angles off the ball that the top teams do. But partly it's a failing of Huddlestone's too.

When we don't have the ball having a him as the sitting CM becomes an unaffordable luxury, the reason being that imo he simply can't press. If he tries to harry them by getting tight they'll just roll him or side-step him and he get's bypassed. To make up for this he instead stands-off.

Unfortunately no stat will really show this up. They show he gets his fair share of tackles and interceptions, but, to steal some rugby terminology (you can tell who's been watching the World Cup), there's several phases of possession and there's turnover ball. The optimum is to restrict the opposition's possession and turnover their ball as soon and as often as possible. With Huddlestone in the side we end up marking space much more and allowing the opposition a more trouble free possession relying on them making an error rather than forcing the issue. With a Palacios, Sandro or Parker, we press the opposition and force the turn-over.

For me though there's a good place for Huddlestone in the squad, he should be an ever-present in the CC team and the Europa Cup and a useful stand-in if one of the main guys gets injured.

My main concern squad-wise this year is the back-up to Adebayour. If he gets injured we're in a bit of trouble. I'm really hoping we've a secret deal to sign Damiao in January, if not I'd love us to sign a Zamora type understudy. Not someone for the main team necessarily but who can do a job in the CC / Europa cup teams and back-up Adebayour if we get an injury. It's a gettable type player who we sign while we're trying for the Llorente's of this world.

That's a fair assessment and for what its worth, Huddlestone certainly has attributes with regards to his long range passing capaibility that few of his peers share.

Unfortunately though, this is more than outweighed as a central midfielder with his considerable lack of mobility in so much as getting forward to support attacks and getting back into a defensive position. He is also largely incapable of applying a pressing game in midfield and lacks that speed of thought when under pressure to give the easy ball and subsequently usually results in a sloppy pass and a foul committed in lumbering into the opponent. Palacios wias pillared by members on here for seemingly committing this act time and again yet this is largely ignored where Huddlestone is concerned.

I do recognise that Huddlestone does possess qualities that we can utilise in the right system but this would require him playing in either a tight 3 man midfield partnered by Parker/Sandro or, as Spurger King touched on, I still think plying his trade as a CB could be developed - especially if behind a duo of Parker and Sandro which would give a great defensive platform to build our attacks upon and also gives Huddlestone time on the ball to give another dimension to generating our attacks which should benefit the likes of Bale and Lennon.

 

[Stavrogin]

Except that's not quite true is it. In 09-10 we actually notched up our most consecutive sequence of wins immediately after Hudd got injured against Everton, winning 4 straight league games. His return game was Portsmouth in the FA Cup, followed by Arsenal in the league, both games he was dire.

Last season our points tally (and I would say performances, marginally) improved immediately when Hudd got injured, I posted them on here. We went on a ten game unbeaten run (all comps) including Arsenal away, Liverpool. Eventually (February) our form just plain dipped. On Hudd's first game back (Stoke home, April) we did win, but then continued to fail to win for a further 6 games.

All of which doesn't support your assessment.

This is getting silly, do you reformat your brain every night? We can't go through these things every time - It's not productive.

When we don't have the ball having a him as the sitting CM becomes an unaffordable luxury, the reason being that imo he simply can't press. If he tries to harry them by getting tight they'll just roll him or side-step him and he get's bypassed. To make up for this he instead stands-off.

Except, has it actually been a problem? - The way you describe and interpret events doesn't really correspond to reality, which is far messier.

To be sure, if you wanted a full on balls to wall defensive blitz you might prefer a Palacios/Sandro axis (although it's not a given that Huddlestone [or Modric] wouldn't function at least adequately in such a scenario) but how often has that been needed? There's too much evidence that in what should be our toughest games even a 'soft touch' midfield of Huddlestone and Modric can work. You have to admit that it appears daft to say x is an unaffordable luxury when there's no legacy of failure.

Consider Inter at home. We may have dominated them but there they had some impressive spells and Huddlestone's defensive work was excellent. The key was discipline. He didn't press or dive in and risk getting caught out of position and the result was that we were rarely exposed.

Of course, he isn't historically great defensively but the issue is not that he cannot press or be a rambo, it's that he hasn't always played to his strengths - which is to be more strategic, more Carrick-like, to dominate that area in front of the defence.

His vision at close quarters isn't great and he likes to pass it to the flank, get it back, pass it to the other flank, get it back, then go for the Quarter-Back pass to an onrushing winger.

This is completely nuts. You seem to have missed the whole thing about Huddlestone's 'new' role. The wonderful thing about watching Huddlestone is how, more than other players, these simple passes from the 'quarterback' position give his team-mates time and the opportunity to move forward.

You can compare it to the Jenas/Zokora years when our midfielders would be looking vainly for a pass, until someone runs back and receives the ball with his back to goal and everything becomes stultified and compact.

Huddlestone, by contrast, plays a lot of first time balls (watch for the moments when he's figured out what he's going to do with the ball before it's even been passed to him), he can switch the play quickly or, if necessary, hold onto it until a more profitable opportunity presents itself. It's simple but elegant and the overall effect (when he's on form) is that it almost tilts the pitch in our favour. Try to watch out and enjoy it.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Let me just point out, I am not blaming Hudd for our lack of dynamic pressing all the time, just that he exacerbates an already poor discipline at times because of his poor dynamism.

 

[Black]

Where was all this rubbish you guys are talking about when we finished 4th and couldn't get him out of the team

I'm sure spurs fans have the shortest memories

 

[SpurSince57]

Let me just point out, I am not blaming Hudd for our lack of dynamic pressing all the time, just that he exacerbates an already poor discipline at times because of his poor dynamism.

:bs:

What a shame he isn't Scottish, eh?

As usual, if it's a player you don't like, you focus on the negatives, and then do the 'Damn with faint praise' schtick on the positives.

Alan Hutton, of course… :roll:

 

[walworthyid]

Huddlestone is clearly not fit but even if he were he would struggle to get into the side when Parker and Sandro are aslo available.

Playing the 4-2-3-1 system that Harry seems to be implying Hudd would need to replace Modric rather than Sandro or Parker and that just isn't going to happen. However, it is a squad game and with injuries and the aggression of both Parker and Sandro as well as tactical decisions in games, he will be a valuable member of the squad.

There is no question though, that Sandro is a better player able to perform the same function just as well but with a lot more to his game. For me, Sandro, Parker, Modric, Bale and VDV would be a match for any midfield in the prem. Hudd would weaken that imo.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

:bs:

What a shame he isn't Scottish, eh?

As usual, if it's a player you don't like, you focus on the negatives, and then do the 'Damn with faint praise' schtick on the positives.

Alan Hutton, of course… :roll:

Guilty. You've got me. You've spotted my achilles heal. I'm merely mortal, not a fucking saint.

No why not go and take your senile impotence out on some other schmuck for half an hour.

 

[sloth]

:bs:

What a shame he isn't Scottish, eh?

As usual, if it's a player you don't like, you focus on the negatives, and then do the 'Damn with faint praise' schtick on the positives.

Alan Hutton, of course… :roll:

SS, is it your complaint that when a person has an opinion about something they seek to make their argument by stating the case as they see it? Or is it some other point your making?

Is it that BC particularly has opinions, whereas somebody like... I don't know... you? Has a much more balanced stance on the world and only ever offers the objective view?

 

[Pringle]

im a big fan of Hudd and think when he plays well the team plays well. His quick passing and ability to pass so well over distances often set up the likes of Bale and Lennon. IMO it is no coincidence that without him this season they have both looked poor. That said, i just dont see him being a regular anymore.

 

[double0]

Heaven forbid anyone has an opinion in here.

 

[SpurSince57]

SS, is it your complaint that when a person has an opinion about something they seek to make their argument by stating the case as they see it? Or is it some other point your making?

Is it that BC particularly has opinions, whereas somebody like... I don't know... you? Has a much more balanced stance on the world and only ever offers the objective view?

I'd have thought my point was pretty fucking obvious.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Where was all this rubbish you guys are talking about when we finished 4th and couldn't get him out of the team

I'm sure spurs fans have the shortest memories

We finished fourth ?

 

[sloth]

I'd have thought my point was pretty fucking obvious.

Silly me.

 

[SpurSince57]

Silly me.

Well, I'm not in the habit of taking anyone who goes into hysteria overload by describing CABE and English Heritage as 'chancers' too seriously. So, 'silly' you are.

 

[The Apprentice]

Bit of luck, we can flog Huddlestone in January.

So, so over rated by Spurs fans.

 

[The Apprentice]

SS, is it your complaint that when a person has an opinion about something they seek to make their argument by stating the case as they see it? Or is it some other point your making?

Is it that BC particularly has opinions, whereas somebody like... I don't know... you? Has a much more balanced stance on the world and only ever offers the objective view?

Nail. Head.

 

[mattstev2000]

Rather overrated. Ok as a 4th choice centre mid but I think that's about it. Needs to cut out the ridiculous 40 yard shots that 95% of the time kill someone in row z.

 

[onthetwo]

i think the fact that we dont need him any more shows how much weve progressed. He looks good in Europe as the pace is slower but against the top teams in the EPL he gets overrun/outrun. I expect him to be at Sunderland or Fulham within a year.